sjar Chapter 26 Disrupting the Prince Yong's Mansion
Chapter 26 Disrupting the Prince Yong's Mansion
The area in front of Prince Yong's mansion was bustling with noise. People crowded around the site, three or four deep, all craning their necks as if afraid of missing a great show.
"Where did this crazy woman come from? Get out of here!" The guard said impatiently, shoving Du Ruoling with his thick arms.
She stumbled and almost fell, but after regaining her balance, she straightened her back and stared intently into the palace.
"How come Lin Xingyao knows she's a mistress but doesn't dare to come forward!" Du Ruoling shouted.
"Who gave you the audacity to call the princess by her name!" The guard drew his sword with a swift motion, the blade gleaming coldly in the sunlight.
Du Ruoling was still afraid after all, and subconsciously took two steps back. But in an instant, she seemed to have made up her mind, turned to face the crowd, her face full of sorrow and pitifulness.
"Everyone, come and see! Gu Cheng'an and I are truly in love, and I'm already pregnant, but Lin Xingyao insists on tearing us apart."
She wiped away her tears and spoke with such sincerity that it evoked pity in everyone.
The crowd erupted in an uproar, with discussions spreading like a tidal wave.
"This doesn't sound like a simple matter. Is the princess trying to break up the couple?" An old woman carrying a vegetable basket frowned, her face full of suspicion, and shook her head as she spoke.
"This poor woman is pregnant. What will become of her? If they are separated, the child will be born without a father. What a tragedy!"
Anyang Marquis's Residence
Tang Rong was extremely anxious. He pounded his fists on the door and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Young Master, something terrible has happened! Miss Du has run off to the Prince Yong's residence!"
"What?" Gu Cheng'an jumped up from the bed, not even having time to put on his shoes, and staggered toward the door.
"Open the door right now!"
The servant in charge of guarding the young master said, "The Marquis has ordered that the second young master must not be allowed to leave."
"You bastards, if anything happens to Ling'er, I'll make you all pay with your lives!" With that, he slammed his fist against the door with all his might, making a dull thud, but the door only shook and didn't budge.
Tang Rong was so anxious outside that he kept stamping his feet, his hands clenched into fists, and sweat rolling down his forehead. "Please, please open the door!"
But the guards remained unmoved with cold faces, for the Marquis had ordered that the second young master must not be released under any circumstances.
Gu Cheng'an rammed the door several more times, but it was like an ant trying to shake a tree. He had been on a hunger strike for the past few days to refuse the marriage, and he had no strength left, let alone be able to break the door open.
"Tang Rong, Tang Rong..."
Tang Rong quickly pressed his ear to the door. "Go find Cheng Yan and tell him to bring Ling'er back safely," Gu Cheng'an ordered breathlessly.
"Yes." Tang Rong took off running, not daring to delay for even a moment.
Gu Cheng'an slid down the door and sat on the floor. Now that he couldn't get out, he could only place all his hopes on Cheng Yan.
Gu Chengyan was already jealous that his second brother had been favored by the young princess of the Yong Prince's Mansion, and he didn't want to get involved in this matter at all. Why should he always have to clean up the mess?
It's shameful that a mere maid dares to cause trouble in front of Prince Yong's mansion!
But then he thought that if the Marquis of Anyang lost face, it would be no different from him losing face. So he gritted his teeth, got up, and hurriedly went to the Prince of Yong's residence.
Du Ruoling's outburst grew increasingly violent; her hair was disheveled, and she sat on the ground, slapping the ground with both hands, acting like a shrew.
How could the Prince Yong's Mansion tolerate this?
"Men, seize her!"
"Wait a minute!" Gu Chengyan stepped forward and grabbed Du Ruoling's arm with great force, making her wince in pain.
"This maid has gone mad. I'll take her away right now." Gu Chengyan's face was gloomy, as if he were squeezing out the words through clenched teeth.
Du Ruoling tried to struggle, crying and shouting, "I won't go, I won't go!"
Gu Chengyan was not Gu Chengan; he didn't have that much chivalry and pity for women. He wouldn't allow her to act recklessly and pulled her back with a combination of dragging and pulling.
Seeing that she still wanted to struggle, he leaned close to her ear and whispered harshly, "If you want to die, then keep making trouble."
Du Ruoling stiffened. Of course, she didn't want to die. Her outburst today was just to make a big fuss and force the Prince Yong's Mansion to cancel the engagement.
Thinking of this, he could only let Gu Chengyan drag him away from this place of trouble, but the storm that followed had only just begun to brew...
Princess Yong, her face full of anger, slammed her hand on the table, splashing a few drops of tea that soaked the brocade tablecloth.
"It's so deceiving!"
"Yesterday, that Lady Hou came to me and made a lot of promises that such a sordid thing as favoring a concubine over one's wife would never happen. Today, that shameless woman dares to come to the gates of my Prince Yong's mansion and cause a scene!"
"Hmph, in my opinion, this marriage is better off not happening." Princess Yong's chest heaved violently with anger. "Why should I, a noble princess of the Yong Prince's Mansion, have to go to that messy Anyang Marquis's Mansion to suffer?"
Lin Xingyao sat on the small couch, her hands clasped over her abdomen, her face expressionless, as if the matter had nothing to do with her.
“Mother, she is just a concubine after all, and she won’t be able to cause any trouble in the future. Since the marriage is already arranged, it would be difficult to break it off so abruptly, and we might invite criticism.”
Princess Yong took her daughter's hand with heartache and patted it gently. "My daughter, I'm just worried about you. There are countless good men in the world, and you are outstanding in both looks and talent. Why did you have to fall for this good-for-nothing Gu Cheng'an?"
"It seems that the Marquis of Anyang's family is not strict in its family discipline, and there will definitely be a lot of trouble in the future."
Lin Xingyao pursed her lips. "Mother, the date has already been set and the wedding invitations have been sent out. If we go back on our word now, not to mention what outsiders will say, all the effort we've put into preparing for the wedding will be wasted."
"So what?" Princess Yong raised her voice, her eyebrows furrowed. "Even if the engagement is called off, it will only make the Marquis of Anyang's family look worse. Let's see which daughter from a prominent family would still be willing to marry into their family then. Their second son has done such a disgraceful thing, his reputation is already ruined."
Lin Xingyao felt a surge of anxiety; her fingers trembled slightly, and her eyes flickered. If she broke off the engagement now, it would truly be too late.
Just as she was pondering this, a maidservant hurriedly stepped forward, curtsied, and announced, "Your Highness, the Lady of Anyang Marquis requests an audience."
Upon hearing this, Princess Yong's expression instantly turned icy cold, and she gritted her teeth, "She still dares to come? She's really shameless!"
Having said that, she flicked her sleeves and strode out in a flurry, her skirt billowing in the wind.
Madam Gu was already waiting in the front hall. When she saw Princess Yong enter, she quickly stepped forward and curtsied.
"Your Highness, please forgive me. I am truly ashamed to face you."
“No face?” Princess Yong stopped, looked down at her and snorted coldly: “The promise you made yesterday is still ringing in my ears, and today your Anyang Marquis’s Mansion has caused such a shocking scandal. If I were you, I would beat that lowly servant to death and still earn a reputation for strict family discipline.”
Madam Gu trembled and hurriedly said, "Your Highness, please calm down. We will deal with her immediately after she gives birth."
Princess Yong, enraged, laughed coldly, her voice as chilling as ice: "Give birth to a child? Before the legitimate son is even born, you already have a illegitimate eldest son weighing you down?"